What's On Tonight (Friday): Who Doesn't Love a Chainsaw Massacre?

  

Chain Reactions

Today's Top Pick is the documentary Chain Reactions, which interviews five artists who have been influenced by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  I saw the original movie  many years ago.  Once was enough for me (I am not a horror movie guy), but I'd gladly watch Stephen King and Patton Oswalt talk about it.

If that doesn't get your motor running, there's also the premiere of British import suspense thriller Coldwater.  The series stars Andrew Lincoln as a husband and father who moves his family to a small Scottish town after he freezes during a violent incident.  I assume everything turns out great after the move.

If you're looking for something lighter, Netflix has the new romantic comedy People We Meet On Vacation.  Adapted from the novel by Emily Henry, the story follows a young man and woman who are best friends and vacation together every year.  I assume they just continue to be friends and have no romantic misadventures.

⭐🎥 Chain Reactions (AMC+/Shudder, 3:01 AM) STREAMING PREMIERE. 'Fifty years after Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre shocked the world and forever changed the face of global cinema and popular culture, Chain Reactions charts the film's profound impact and lasting influence on five great artists -- Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama -- through early memories, sensory experiences, and childhood trauma.'

Elsewhere...  

 PREMIERES

Coldwater

📸 Paparazzi King (Netflix, 3:01 AM) LIMITED SERIES. 'Explores the life and career of paparazzi king Fabrizio Corona, reflecting Italy's recent history of scandals and social change.'

🎥 People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix, 3:01 AM) 'Free-spirited Poppy and routine-loving Alex have been unlikely best friends for a decade, living in different cities but spending every summer vacation together. The careful balance of their friendship is put to the test when they begin to question what has been obvious to everyone else -- could they actually be the perfect romantic match?

💧 Coldwater (Paramount, 3:01 AM) SERIES PREMIERE. 'Stay-at-home dad John (Andrew Lincoln) moves his family up from London to the rural Scottish town of Coldwater after his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation at a playground brings his identity crisis to a head. On arrival, John is quickly befriended by next-door neighbor Tommy, a charming, confident pillar of the community. But it's only after a series of unsettling incidents start to occur that John starts to wonder who the real Tommy actually is.'

🎥 Death Name (Tubi, 3:01 AM) 'A young Korean American woman yearns to learn more about her heritage, not knowing the further she digs, the more she reawakens a deadly family curse.'

💀 TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened (Fox, 8:00 PM) 'Diving deep into the murders of Hollywood legend Rob Reiner and wife Michele Reiner.'

🎥 The Pastor Who Prays (LMN, 8:00 PM) 'A New York fashion designer suspects a small-town pastor of murder when her cousin dies under mysterious circumstances.'

RETURNING SHOWS

🔔 Tehran (Apple, 12:01 AM) SEASON THREE PREMIERE.

🔔 A Thousand Blows (Hulu, 12:01 AM) SEASON TWO PREMIERE.

🔔 Alpha Males (Netflix, 3:01 AM) SEASON FOUR PREMIERE.

💲 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (ABC, 8:00 PM) SEASO SIX WINTER PREMIERE.

🎥 The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs (Shudder, 9:00 PM) SEASON EIGHT PREMIERE.

Alpha Males

STREAMING

🔔 Jasmine (HBO Max, 12:01 AM) 

🔔 Heaven (HBO Max, 3:01 AM) 

LIVE SPORTSBALL TODAY/TONIGHT

⚽ German Bundesliga Soccer: Eintracht Frankfurt at Borussia Dortmund (ESPN2, 2:00 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Miami (Ohio) RedHawks at Toledo Rockets (CBSSPT, 6:00 PM)

🏀 Unrivaled Basketball: Vinyl Basketball Club vs. Rose Basketball Club (TNT/TruTV, 7:30 PM)

🏈 College Football: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs Indiana Hoosiers (ESPN/ESPNNEW/ESPNU, 7:40 PM)

🏈 College Football: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Miami Hurricanes vs Ole Miss Rebels (ESPN2, 7:40 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: Akron Zips at Bowling Green Falcons (CBSSPT, 8:00 PM)

⛸️ 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships (NBC, 8:00 PM)

🏀 Unrivaled Basketball: Breeze Basketball Club vs. Hive Basketball Club (TNT/TruTV, 8:45 PM)

🏀 College Basketball: UNLV Rebels at Colorado State Rams (CBSSPT, 10:00 PM)

🏀 High School Basketball: Notre Dame Knights at Sierra Canyon Trailblazers (ESPN2, 11:30 PM)

Tehran

🕖 EARLY PRIMETIME 🕖

🏠 The Loud House (Nickelodeon, 5:30 PM) 'Lori and Bobby find a kitten and decide to raise it together; after telling her family how great her apartment is, Lori’s sisters secretly take over her space.'

🔔 Wylde Pak (Nickelodeon, 6:00 PM) 'The family gets stuck in a traffic jam that leads to all human civility getting thrown out the passenger side window; Jack and Lily attempt to catch a legendary town fish despite horror stories from townsfolk who have tried and failed before them.'

🕖 8:00 EASTERN / 🕖 7:00 CENTRAL

💲 Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (ABC, 8:00 PM) 'Celebrity contestants Max Greenfield, D'Arcy Carden and Timothy Simons.'

🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race (MTV, 8:00 PM) 'The queens sing and dance in rival "Q-Pop" girl groups: the "Q" standing for quintessentially queer, with tracks inspired by Sylvester, Wham! and The Runaways. Actress and singer Dove Cameron guest judges.'

💀 TMZ Investigates: The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened (Fox, 8:00 PM) 
💰 Gold Rush (Discovery, 8:00 PM) 

🎥 The Pastor Who Prays (LMN, 8:00 PM) 
💖 Ready to Love (OWN, 8:00 PM) 

👮 On Patrol: First Shift (Reelz, 8:00 PM) 

🤼‍♂️ WWE's Friday Night Smackdown (USA, 8:00 PM) 

🕗 9:00 EASTERN / 🕖 8:00 CENTRAL

👽 The Unbelievable with Dan Ackroyd (History, 9:00 PM) SEASON FINALE. 'Weapons rank among humanity's most powerful-and wildest-inventions.'

⚔️ Spartacus: House of Ashur (Starz, 9:00 PM) 'Korris demands blood; Ashur attempts to sway an enemy toward his cause.'

🔔 RuPaul's Drag Race: Untucked (MTV, 9:32 PM) ''The mood is darker in the Untucked Lounge after a shocker on the main stage. The divas try to uplift each other with a game of Truth or Dare. Sisterhood blooms in the Queen Cam booth.''

🔔 20/20 (ABC, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Masters of Illusion (CW, 9:00 PM) 
🏠 My Lottery Dream Home (HGTV, 9:00 PM) 
👮 On Patrol: Live (Reelz, 9:00 PM) 
🔔 Junk or Jackpot? (HGTV, 9:30 PM) 

A Thousand Blows

🕗 10:00 EASTERN / 🕖 9:00 CENTRAL

👹 Monsterquest (History, 10:03 PM) 'From training grounds to war-torn battlefields, a growing number of soldiers report encounters not with enemy combatants - but with something beyond the known world.'

LATE NIGHT

🔔 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS, 11:35 PM) "Singer Taylor Swift."

🔔 Late Night with Seth Myers (NBC, 12:37 AM) 'Day Drinking with Sabrina Carpenter; actor Jack Black; actress Ella Purnell.'

🔔 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC, 11:34 PM) 
🔔 Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, 11:35 PM) 
🔔 Nightline (ABC, 12:37 AM)

📺Broadcast/Cable/Satellite - RETRO BINGE📺

The Andy Griffiths Show (Sundance, 5:00 AM - 1:00 PM); Law & Order (Pop, 6:00 AM - 8:00 PM);South Park (Comedy Central, 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM); Living Single (TV One, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM); M*A*S*H* (TVLand, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM);  Friends (TBS, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM); Gunsmoke (TVLand, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM); Seinfeld (Comedy Central, 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM): The Andy Griffiths Show (TVLand, 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Family Ties (Antenna, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM); The Office (Comedy Central, 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM);  Three's Company (Antenna, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM); Barney Miller (Antenna, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM); Everybody Loves Raymond (TVLand, 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM); One Day at a Time (Antennae, 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM); The Jeffersons (Antenna, 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM); Sanford & Son (Antenna, 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM); The Golden Girls (Hallmark, 10:00 PM - 2:00 AM); The King of Queens (TVLand, 11:00 PM - 2:00 AM); Becker (Antenna, 12:00 - 1:00 AM); Wings (Antenna, 1:00 AM - 2:00 AM)

📺 Johnny Carson (Antenna, 11:00 PM) 'Actor Peter Fonda; comic Charles Nelson Reilly; writer A. Whitney Brown.'

People We Meet On Vacation

Key Sources: The Futon Critic; Rotten Tomatoes; YouTube; TV Guide; TV Passport

⭐: Top Pick
💲: Game show
🎥: Movie
📺: Throwback
✔️: Video/gif/photo included